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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Eggs are a big part of my diet. I eat them at least once a day - always for breakfast and sometimes as part of another meal. My breaky is quick to whip together and is vibrant in taste and texture. Next time you're looking for something different, give this a try...

Heathy's Yummy Breaky Eggs

I pan fry 2 eggs in coconut oil (over-easy because I love a runny yolk).
After flipping them in the pan, I add chopped kale or chard to the pan.
I transfer the eggs to a plate and briefly add chopped tomato and homemade sauerkraut to the pan to warm up with the kale.
I add fresh basil pesto to the veggies and spread them over the eggs.
I sprinkle it all with raw parmesan.
Sometimes I add chopped roasted brussel sprouts on top too!

I just found a new way to enjoy eggs. Introducing egg muffins!

What the heck is an egg muffin?! It's simply just a frittata baked in a muffin cup. It makes an excellent portable snack or side dish to a salad. I made some for the first time yesterday and love the result. Add in whatever veggies you like, add raw cheese, pesto.... there are a world of possibilities for these little packets of deliciousness.

This recipe is just a rough outline. Three eggs plus the veggies made 5 muffins in a smaller sized silicone muffin pan. It would probably do 4 regular sized muffin cups.

Preheat an oven to 350F.
In a hot pan, saute the onion in the oil until translucent.
While the onion is sauteing whisk the eggs, coconut milk, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Add the spinach to the onion until wilted (this will be quick), and remove from heat.
Spoon the mixture into the bottom of the muffin cups. Sprinkle a few tomato halves on top.
Pour the egg over top.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Friday, January 13, 2012

A year ago I made a moose meatloaf from Nourishing Traditions and it was lovely. I need to make it more often as it's a tasty and easy way to get protein. I made a similar one a few days ago and have been enjoying a bit of it daily - mostly cut up cold in salads or as an accompaniment to veggies. This is the food that keeps me OFF the sweet stuff.

Moose Veggie Meatloaf

1/2 lb ground meat (I used moose)

1 teaspoon olive oil or butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 small stalk celery, finely chopped

1/4 finely chopped carrot

1/2 cup packed spinach, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Himalayan salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Cayenne, to taste

1 egg

2-4 tablespoons ground flax seed

4-5 tablespoons tomato paste or thinly sliced tomato

Saute onions, carrot, and celery in the oil or butter until almost soft. Add the spinach and saute until all veggies are soft. Add the seasonings and stir.

Add the meat, cooked veggies, egg & flax to a large bowl. Mix all together.

Press the mixture into a small pan or ramekins.

Spread a thin layer of tomato paste on top.

Bake in a 350F oven for 20-30 minutes (depending on what vessel you cook in). Cut a slit to see if it's cooked through (NO pink).

Sunday, January 30, 2011

A few weeks ago I made Beef Bourguignon - with moose, and it was incredible! Years ago I made it despite the fact I was a vegan and didn't eat it, so this time it was nice to be able to indulge in my efforts. This particular recipe comes from Ina Garten, from The Food Network. The only changes I made were to swap the regular flour for millet flour, and of course, use moose instead of beef. The dish takes a few hours, but makes a large batch, sure to keep you fed for days.

For serving:

Country bread or Sour Dough, toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley

Monday, January 24, 2011

Today I'm answering some questions that I've recently received. First, a reminder that I'm only speaking from my own personal experience, and according to the plan my homeopathic doctor has put me on. I get some really in depth emails from folks who are still confused, not knowing what to eat, and asking me - but the truth is, I don't know any better than they do. I'm still finding what works for me. I'll say it once again - if you are confused and struggling, consult some kind of holistic practitioner.

Do all your MAIN meals include protein? Do you ever eat just eat veggies by themselves?

Yes, all my main meals include protein. Usually eggs with breakfast, meat or fish with lunch and eggs or meat at dinner - always with veggies. Sometimes I eat veggies alone. I might have a salad, soup or veggies with a dip for a small meal. But for most of my meals I eat veg with protein. This will probably change when I start introducing sweet things again, like fruit, although I will have to make sure to keep enough protein that I don't crave sugar like I did before.

Are you allowed to eat lentils or legumes?

The word "allowed" really makes me cringe. It seems that our society is so terribly caught up in doing the "shoulds" that we don't listen to our own bodies - myself included. I have eaten a small amount of legumes lately. For example - I made split pea soup for guests last week and had a bowl. I ate hummus while out with friends yesterday, but before that I don't remember the last time I ate these foods. In my mind, the question is - how does it feel for YOU to eat these foods? For me it feels heavy so I keep it minimal.

What do you think of vega? And brown rice protein powder?

I've tried vega once and found the taste to be horrific. I've tried a few brown rice proteins and find that my body responds fine. I particularly like Epic Protein (Vanilla Lucuma), but am not currently consuming it while being off sugar.

First of all, I believe our bodies require healthy fats. Secondly, I think it really depends on YOU. I eat all the fats you mention, and I think I'm consuming too much fat at the moment, but I think the fat in combination with the protein is what's helping me stay off sugar, so I'm going with it for now.

What's a typical 3 day meal plan for you?

This is SO individual. Check THIS POST for what I have been eating daily. We all have different bodies which means we all have slightly different food requirements. Also, my diet changes subtly these days, so 3 days wouldn't necessarily provide the best overview. For example, one day I might eat some starchy things like yams, while the next day I may not eat any.

Chocolate Cravings

Today for the first time in ages, I'm craving cacao - and I'm rather annoyed by it since sticking to my new diet has been effortless for the most part. One day last week I had a minor sugar/cacao craving as a result of a liver cleanse remedy that Denyse had me on, so it was "to be expected". I rode it out, and sure enough it passed within a few hours.

I realized today that the craving is a result of my monthly friend, who just arrived. What's interesting is that in the past I ate so much cacao all the time, that I never noticed a difference during my period. Now that I'm so far removed from cacao, I can see that this isn't an emotional craving, but clearly a hormonal thing. In fact, I have been around chocolate quite a lot lately - pulling it out of the freezer for guests, sending off choccie packages to friends, and so on - so I am certainly past the "craving" stage.
Anyway, I battled it out for a while. I ate a colostrum/hemp milk/chia mix for breaky, salad with venison for lunch... but then I just couldn't hold any longer. I ate a small piece of raw chocolate before heading out the door to the gym. Yes, I could have walked away, but I decided to have a bit. I felt fine physically, and the craving went away. Plus, it doesn't mean that everything has to come undone just because I "broke my diet". I'm moving on.

Muscle and Fitness

Moving onto another point... the great weight debate, strength, and fitness. As I mentioned in another post, I have gained weight since adopting my new lifestyle. While I have my occasional freak outs about this, I can confidently say that some of it is muscle. I feel MUCH stronger now, and feel better in general. I have become stronger in my yoga practice, and have recently started working out at the gym for the first time in years. I'm going partly because it's minus a million here with 10 feet of snow on the ground which means no outside activity, and partly because I'm going to a bikini destination soon and want to trim down. An incredible surge of energy had me running on the treadmill the other day, and it felt great. My newfound strength has me walking on the treadmill a steep incline at a pretty fast pace - effortlessly.

As an aside, many years ago I did gymnastics, then got into cheerleading, running, and light weight lifting. When I became vegan (upon turning 14) I lost my strength, and about 10 lbs (although I was at a fit, normal weight to begin with) so fast that I couldn't do some of my regular gymnastic moves anymore. At the time I didn't know what the heck was going on, and my coach/friends accused me of not eating and being anorexic, but now I see that it was my body's negative response to removing the animal protein from my diet. In fact, at one point my hair started thinning, I was tired all the time, skinny, and super pale. When it was recommended that I start eating meat again, I said "Absolutely NOT" and continued on for 13 years. I think my body adapted to some extent - but I've come to realize that it adapted trying to get as much sugar as possible, in the form of constant cravings.

I still believe that some people can thrive on a vegan diet, however, I am not one of them. If I could go back to being raw vegan and be completely balanced, I'd return to it in a heartbeat. I will always have a major passion for raw foods, and it will always be a part of my life.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My sugar/cacao free cleanse successfully continues, and I'm still surprised at how easy it's been. Sometimes I wonder how it would have been, had I adopted this way of eating years ago. I could have preventing some serious overdosing on sweet things, that's for sure! Better late than never though.

I'm having fun playing with new recipes, although most often I eat the same things every day. My morning plain yogurt followed by breaky of salad with wild meat or 2 eggs with veggies - then the reverse for lunch. Last week I made a fabulous moose meat lasagna, with eggplant and zucchini for the noodles, organic tomato sauce, veggies (zucchini, onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach), and raw white cheddar cheese on top. I think I could eat it every day.

I've also made a few more recipes from Nourishing Traditions. My friend Nancy, and I have started doing weekly dinner dates where we choose new recipes to try, (often from the book) and it's been a lot of fun. We've made spicy moose patties, spaghetti squash casserole, broccoli timbales, roasted veggies, and almond dill crusted pickerel.

I was in the mood for a silky, hot, buttery soup last week and this smooth butternut squash soup was born... the coconut milk in this recipe and a bit of shredded coconut on the salmon below are the extent of the sugar I've eaten, so I guess I have ingested a little bit - but very minor overal.

In a large pot, saute the onion in the oil until translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger, curry paste, coriander, and salt. Saute for another few minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the coconut milk, bring to a boil and the simmer until the squash is soft.
Add the coconut milk and puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.
Thin with a bit of water if the soup is too thick.

Another day I made some Coconut Crusted Wild Salmon with Cilantro Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce which was inspired by a salmon recipe in a new book that my bestie, Lauren, got me for Christmas called The Earthbound Cook. It's a great book with heaps of recipes using whole foods. While the author served the fish with a sweet chile sauce, I went in a different direction with a creamy herbed sauce with a touch of heat.

Coconut Crusted Salmon with Cilantro Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce

Coconut Crusted Salmon
Double or half the coating according to how many pieces of salmon you want to make.

Brush or pour a little lime juice over each fillet.
Toss the coconut, nuts, salt and pepper together in a shallow bowl.
Press the top of each fillet in the coated and place coconut side up on baking sheets.
Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through to your liking.

Cilantro Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce
I didn't do any measurements for this sauce, so just add according to your taste.

I cooked extra salmon and turned it into a delicious salmon salad the next day. I love it on salads, on cucumber slices, and in celery sticks!
Add large chunks of cooked salmon to a food processor, along with lemon juice, fresh or dried dill, green onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar, and blend until smooth.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Last month I made a huge batch of one of my favorite foods - sauerkraut! Mmmm, I go through periods of eating a lot of it - sometimes it gets my tummy bubbly (read: gassy) if I haven't had it for a while, but that's just the body adjusting. Unpasteurized sauerkraut and any fermented veggies contain bacteria that is highly beneficial for the gut, aiding in better digestion.

While you can add all kinds ingredients to your kraut to flavor it, I prefer mine pretty simple - either plain, with caraway seeds, or dill. In the past I've made it with dill and garlic which is also nice.

It's really very easy and inexpensive to make kraut, so if you haven't already, give it a try! I'm sure there are a million variations but here's how I make it:

1. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and thinly slice it with a knife or in a food processor.

2. Toss the cabbage and salt together in a large bowl. The salt draws water out of the cabbage, creating a brine, and also preserves it during the fermenting process. I added caraway seeds at this point.

3. Massage the cabbage, speeding up the release of water, and/or place a plate with a weight (rock, or jar filled with water) on top until you notice the liquid. I like to massage it and then let it sit with a weight for 20- 30 minutes. A good amount of liquid should be release before moving on.

5. Spoon the mixture into glass jars and then firmly press the kraut down (I use a wooden dough press) to release all air bubbles, and to bring up liquid level. The liquid must rise above the cabbage.

6. I like to press the extra cabbage leaves on top, to hold the mixture down.

7. Screw the lids on and set the jars in a neutral temperature for a few days. Check after 3 days and then store in the fridge, or ferment for a few more days. I usually ferment an old large pickle jar for 6-7 days. It will continue to ferment as it's left out, and will stop once refrigerated.

Note: Sometimes a layer of mold will form on top of the kraut. Apparently it's still safe after skimming this top layer off, however I did have a jar go bad once and threw it out.

I hope you'll try a batch now that you see how easy it is to prepare. Have a happy weekend!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Time for some recipes. Here are a few great Paleo meals I've enjoyed recently...

A dinner of fresh trout crusted in a crunchy pesto and baked, perched on roasted cauliflower. With more cauli on the menu, I also made a creamy cauliflower veggie soup.

Trout with Crunchy Pesto Crust

My dad caught a huge trout last week and he handed it over to me to cook. I don't have an exact recipe because I threw it together, but here are the ingredients for the coating. Instead of pureeing it down to a paste, I chopped the ingredients by hand (really only takes a few seconds if you have a good knife), and tossed them together, keeping texture. I kept the walnuts slightly chunky and finely chopped everything else.

Roll fish fillets in the coating, pressing it to adhere, and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 350F until cooked through. Cook time will depend on the size of your fillets. I cooked mine about 20-25 minutes.

Slice the cauliflower, about 1/2" and layer on a baking sheet that has been brushed with olive oil.
Brush olive oil on top of the cauliflower slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake in a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes (or until cooked through), flipping over after 10 minutes.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This soup is creamy without the cream - although I would have enjoyed adding some fresh raw cream if I could get it around here. Sub the water for veggie stock (and cut down on the salt), nut milk, or part fresh cream/milk if you like. It's got just a little bit of heat from the red pepper flakes, which is all I can handle, but add more if you like it really spicy.

2 teaspoons butter or olive oil

1 med onion, diced

1 stalk celery

1 medium cauliflower, chopped into florets

1/2 small zucchini, chopped into chunks

1/2 medium sweet potato

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

5-6 cups water
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

In a large pot, heat the butter. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes on medium until translucent.

Add all the other ingredients including the water. Bring the water to a boil on high heat and then simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.

Puree the soup with the coconut milk in a blender until smooth, and re-season if necessary.

Moose Meatloaf

This recipe is inspired by the Spicy Meatloaf in Sally Fallon's book, Nourishing Traditions which I recently purchased. It's an excellent resource for recipes and information on natural foods and includes lots of variety. While I've leafed through the book a number of times, I've only made a few things from it. This original recipe calls for real cream and bread crumbs, I made my own "cream" and used hemp seeds in place of bread. I've been loving this chopped up cold in my salads. It would be nice in lettuce wraps with tomato slices too, I'm sure.

Saute onions, carrot, and celery in the butter until almost soft. Add the zucchini and saute until all veggies are soft. Add the seasonings and stir.
Whisk together the water and colostrum (or use fresh cream).
Add the egg & hemp seeds and whisk again.
Add the meat and veggies. Mix all together until combined.
Press the mixture into a 9x13" pan, or 9x9" (if you want a thicker loaf).
Spread a thin layer of tomato paste on top.
Bake in a 350F oven for 35- 45 minutes (9x13), or longer for a 9x9".

About Me

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Heather and I'm a classically trained chef and yoga instructor in Victoria, BC Canada with a passion for making healthy food, especially raw vegan desserts. I'm a travel bug, love wine, and have a mega sweet tooth!
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